Nerve glowing liquid

Scientists are developing a fluorescent fluid to inject into the patient's body, thereby glowing nerves.

Image for illustrative purposes. (Internet source)

It is a special type of peptide , which helps doctors see the most sensitive nerves instead of their electronic monitoring system or experience. This will help avoid surgical complications that can make the patient painful or even paralyzed.

Experts argue that this fluorescence reveals nerve fibers like construction workers who know the underground cables buried earlier when preparing to dig for construction.

This luminescent peptide was developed by a team of researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine (USA), which has special amino acids in a protein segment. Experiments on mice show that this peptide helps to make a clear difference between nerve fibers and tissues that make it easier for surgeons. This luminescence helps doctors see 10 times better than normal. The luminescence effect lasts for 2-8 hours and no side effects have been detected. The researchers were even more surprised to see that the peptide also showed nerve fibers that were accidentally cut off if there was a blood supply to the damaged area.

Professor Roger Tsien said that surgeons who want to remove the tumor from the patient need a 'living map' that clearly displays important nerve fibers. Currently the surgeons rely on knowledge, experience and partly the support of electromyography to avoid severing nerve fibers. However, small or very sensitive nerves such as the area around the prostate, if committed, can cause erectile dysfunction. The research has just been published in Nature Biotechnology .